


Bones in the Ocean

by Facialteeth



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Drowning, M/M, Magical Realism, Mermaid Alec Lightwood, Mermaid Jace Herondale, Mermaid Magnus Bane, Mermaids, Multi, Mutual Pining, Protective Magnus Bane, Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood, Shadowhunter Jace Herondale, jace's pov, sh-rare-pair-exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29221272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Facialteeth
Summary: There was one simple fact about Jace’s life. He could not live without Alec. So, when Alec was taken out into the ocean never to break the surface again, Jace knew that he had to follow him, no matter what it took to do so.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34
Collections: Rare Pair Gift Exchange, SHBingo 20-21





	Bones in the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jessa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessa/gifts).



> This is a gift for Jessa as part of the shadowhunters rarepair fic exchange! I hope you like it! I started and restarted this fic so many times because I kept coming up with different ideas, so I hope you like where I ended up with it. I didn't quite intend to write so much before getting to the underwater part but... I hope you end up liking all the long build up anyway. I tried so hard to make this something you'd be into and I had never tried to write anything with mermaids before, so this was a fun experience for me!
> 
> Special thanks to Elle (Bytheangell) for being a spy for me and to Judyka71 for beta reading this for me (especially on such short notice).
> 
> This is also my 'fairytale AU' bingo square for SH Bingo.

Alec had been gone for about a month before Jace finally broke. For a month, Jace managed to pretend that everything was okay. He managed to close himself off, force down all his emotions, go to work everyday and be a shadowhunter, not Jace, not the man who used to be Alec’s parabatai, not a man who was missing half his heart but a shadowhunter. He was just a shadowhunter and he managed to keep that up for a month before all at once, he snapped.

All at once, he wasn’t a shadowhunter anymore. He wasn’t even Jonathan Herondale - greatest shadowhunter of their generation. He was Jace, a twelve year old boy who’d come to the Institute as an orphan, a boy who’d found solace in Alec, a boy who needed his parabatai back, no matter what the cost.

Jace knew then that he needed to get Alec back. He needed to see him again and he needed to make sure that nothing could ever separate them again. Now, he didn’t know how he could do that but he knew that he’d be willing to do anything to make it happen.

Jace dug up anything he could find of the fae. Anything that shed light on the elusive class of them that preferred to hide in the depths of the water, away from human civilization and fae civilization alike. They were the one class of fae that had their own government entirely separate from the Seelie Queen. Her influence couldn’t quite reach them under the water and apparently, they preferred it that way anyway.

This also meant that information on them was hard to come by. They rarely surfaced at all. They wrote no books Jace could read. They weren’t very forthcoming about any information regarding them whatsoever but what Jace did know from personal experience was that they could turn people, much like a vampire or werewolves could, though their ritual relied on magic rather than saliva or venom. Those who were turned weren’t as powerful as those born to the water nymph. They didn’t inherit the magic the others were born with. Turning was also very rare, hard to do and dangerous for everyone involved.

Jace didn’t manage to find out much else but that simple information was enough for Jace to wonder. Was Alec even still alive? Had he survived the transformation? If he had, what was his life like now, being so powerless compared to his new peers? Did he know how to survive by himself? Was Magnus helping him? Had the vicious nymph slaughtered him, regardless of what Magnus had promised Jace? Had Alec even survived a week?

Other things Jace thought about too. What did Alec look like now? Would Jace even recognize him? Did he look like the water nymph in the sketches Jace had found? With huge dark eyes, clawed hands and those sharp teeth that gave Jace nightmares, though he would not admit it. Did he look half as viscous as the sketches did? Did he really look like that much of a monster now?

That was all of course, if Alec had even survived the transformation. If he hadn’t, then none of those concerns were valid at all. He’d simply died in the water, probably in pain with no one who cared about him there to comfort him before he went but Jace tried to push that thought away. He had to believe Alec had survived. If he was proven wrong, Jace didn’t even know what he’d do.

If Alec had died, Jace didn’t imagine that things would ever be okay again. So, he couldn’t be dead. He simply couldn’t be but that belief didn’t help Jace when he had no clue what to do next. He needed to contact him or he needed to contact Magnus and unfortunately for Jace, he had absolutely no clue how to do that.

Asking around about the water nymph was not easy. Downworlders didn’t like shadowhunters and even if they knew something, few of them would be willing to share downworld secrets with him, especially about a species as elusive and powerful as the water nymph were. They rarely got involved in above water debacles but Jace did know there were rumors about their armies and their strength, so no one really wanted to anger them.

Jace didn’t even know if that was true. He didn’t know if they really had armies at all. He knew so little and no one at all seemed willing to help him fix that or they also knew nothing, which was almost worse. If no one knew anything, that meant there was no way Jace could get any information. That meant that he had no clue what to do and he had no plan and he had no way to even find out if Alec was alive at all.

Jace just needed to talk to him. He needed to know if Alec was okay. He couldn’t think about anything else until he did.

Jace finally got a lead a few days later. There was a faerie who apparently had close connections to the water nymph. Tracking him down was a hassle in and of itself but Jace finally found himself standing in the woods in some isolated park, weaponless as requested, feeling as if he was walking into a trap and finding it a little hard to care. He needed to find Alec. Even if he knew this was a trap, what else could he do but come and try?

Jace was jittery, looking around at every noise, waiting to have seelie weapons drawn against his throat but that didn't happen. When the faerie finally arrived, Jace looked up and simply found him standing there a few feet away. He was wearing armor with a blade across his side, looking ethereal and deadly all at once.

Jace, with his plain clothes and empty hands, felt entirely underdressed and under prepared but Jace supposed that was the point.

“Shadowhunter,” Meliorn cooed. “I hear you’re asking around about the water nymph.”

Jace took a deep breath in. “Yes, my parabatai-”

“Alexander,” Meliorn cut him off. “I’m aware of what happened with your parabatai.”

Jace didn’t ask how he knew. Word got around, he supposed but if Meliorn knew about Alec it had to mean he knew someone who had contact with him. Word had gotten from the water out somehow and Jace needed to know how.

“I need to know if he’s okay.”

Meliorn’s eyes flickered up and then down Jace, frowning. “I heard you’d like to know a bit more than that. I heard you want to know how to do it.”

“It?” Jace murmured, knowing what Meliorn meant but asking anyway.

“You’d like to join him.” Meliorn said evenly. “It’s rare for a shadowhunter to be willing to undergo such a transformation. Are you sure you’d like to do it?”

“No, I’m not.” Jace snapped, his eyes flickering away. “I just… I need to know if Alec is alright and after that-”

“You’ll decide if you can live without him or if you’d rather be cursed, like he is?”

Jace’s gaze sharpened into a glare. “Alec isn’t cursed.”

“He might disagree,” Meliorn murmured. “He’s alive. He survived the transformation. Magnus has been caring for him. I hear he’s grown quite fond of him.”

Instantly, Jace’s eyes snapped up. “You’ve heard from him?”

“I’ve heard from Magnus. He also told me that you should move on. He said Alec is safe and he’s adjusting and that you should adjust as well.” Meliorn stared at him for another moment longer before he kept speaking, “He’s not part of your world anymore, Jace. Trying to contact him would only make it harder for you both.”

“Alec is my parabatai.” Jace snapped. “I can’t live without him. I don’t know _how_.”

“And yet, you have to.”

Jace tightened his jaw in his mouth. “You won’t help me?” He asked finally.

“I think I already have. If you’re asking if I’ll help you contact him again, the answer is no.”

“Great,” Jace snapped bitterly, already turning to leave. Jace made it nearly twenty feet before he heard Meliorn call out to him, making him stop in his tracks.

“If you really want to do it, find Ragnor Fell. He’s Magnus’ oldest friend and one of the only people above water that he keeps in contact with.”

Jace spun around instantly, scanning Meliorn’s face as if to see if he was lying but Faeries couldn’t lie, could they? “Thank you,” he said finally, breathless in his disbelief.

Meliorn pressed his lips. “Don’t thank me. He probably won’t even talk to you.” Meliorn turned away before Jace could say another word.

Jace watched him leave, struggling to comprehend the fact that he had an actual clue. Alec was okay, Jace thought, repeating it to himself until the words sunk in. Alec was okay. He hadn’t died. He was alive somewhere and for now, Jace’s life was not over and thanks to Meliorn, he even had a lead.

Ragnor Fell. Jace had heard of the warlock before. He couldn’t be _that_ hard to track down. If Jace was lucky, his address would be in the Clave’s files and it would be as easy as that to find him.

Jace, as it turns out, was not lucky. Ragnor Fell was in the Clave’s files, listed as one of the most powerful warlocks the Clave had ever worked with. His last known residency was a loft in London, one that had been long abandoned. He had no known address on file, only a small annotation that read ‘seen last in New York- 1997.’ There was a little blurb about him owning a club in New York but that wasn’t as helpful as knowing where the warlock lived.

Jace had to hold back a sigh as he read it and then searched through the system again, hoping maybe there was more information filed under something else that would help him. There wasn’t.

Jace finally spun away from the monitor, jumping as he came face to face Isabelle, who had clearly seen what he’d been searching for.

“Ragnor Fell?” She demanded. “What the hell do you want with such a powerful warlock?”

Jace froze for a moment, not even able to come up with an excuse. “It’s nothing,” he said before he was pushing past her.

“Nothing?” She echoed, darting after him. “Jace, I know you’re looking for Alec,” She snapped when Jace refused to slow down.

“No, I’m not,” Jace said simply.

Isabelle reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to a halt. “Yes, you are. You’ve been asking everyone how to get a hold of Magnus. You didn’t think I'd hear?”

Jace turned to her, frowning. “So, what if I am?” He said at last.

“So what?” She snapped, appalled. “Jace we were told not to contact him. It was part of the deal. They don't like shadowhunters. You could be putting him in danger.”

It _had_ been part of the deal. Magnus had told them that if he took Alec, he didn’t want any other shadowhunters bothering him again but how could Jace just move on? “I don’t think I am putting him in danger,” Jace said finally.

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked cautiously.

“Magnus has been taking care of Alec. He likes him. He’s grown _fond_ of him. Magnus isn’t going to hurt Alec.” Jace turned away from her, heading down the hallway towards the supply room.

After a second, Isabelle darted after him. “Ragnor?” She questioned simply.

“He’s Magnus’ oldest friend. He’s the only one Magnus keeps in contact with up here,” Jace explained as he walked into the room, darting over instantly to the weapon’s rack, where he snatched up a blade and started to head towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Isabelle asked behind him.

Jace paused for a moment, turning back to look at her. “Ragnor used to own this club downtown. He hasn’t been seen there in years but someone might know where he is.”

Isabelle hesitated for a second before she grabbed her own weapon off the shelf. “Fine, I’m coming with you,” She said, heading past him and starting to go out the door without another word.

“Are you sure?” Jace asked, as he followed her outside. “It’s not only going against what Magnus said,” Jace reminded her. “It’s going against Clave orders.”

“I’m sure, Jace,” she said and Jace could do nothing but nod in response. Secretly, he was a little relieved to not be going alone. He was so used to doing everything with Alec. Having to do everything alone was one of the hardest parts of him being gone.

He was used to being two parts of a whole and now, it was just him, trying to find his other half again.

The pandemonium was as full as Jace imagined it always was on a Friday night, being that it was the most popular downworlder club in New York. Jace made his way through the people towards the bar after splitting up with Izzy, both of them agreeing to do what they do best - flirt and try to find information. Though, normally on a mission like this, Alec would be there watching from somewhere, waiting to jump in if they encountered trouble.

It made his absence all the more obvious, not as if Jace had been able to think of anything else since Alec had been gone. Jace settled at the bar, ordered a drink to look casual and then started smiling at people, flirting, dropping Ragnor’s name when he thought he could without raising any red flags but if anyone did know how to contact Ragnor, no one was very forthcoming.

On the outside, Jace knew he looked at ease. He knew it looked like his attention was on everyone around him but in reality, Jace’s mind was only on one person and he was reliving one thing in his head, no matter how much he tried to push it away and focus on the task at hand.

He was thinking about Alec. He was thinking about what had happened to him. He was thinking about what Meliorn had said about his parabatai being cursed and he was thinking about that awful day that they’d lost him, the last day Jace had seen him.

It had been a simple mission, a _deceptively_ simple mission. They’d been trying to chase down a couple of Shax Demons that had popped up on their sensors. It had been a little odd how the demons had clustered in the same area and showed up at the exact same time but they didn’t really question it before they set out to find them. Either way, they needed to kill the demons.

They’d found themselves in a graveyard, a small one Jace had never been to before despite living in this city for most of his life. One of the demons had popped out. Alec had taken it down with one arrow and that was supposed to be how the rest of the mission went. Simple. Easy. Kill them and get out but when they finally made their way towards the back of the cemetery, they’d seen something they were entirely unprepared for.

They’d seen a rift and without a warlock present, they had no way to close it. They could only fight the demons that kept spilling out. Izzy called the Institute. Alec and Jace kept fighting, trying to hold them back until enforcements got there and hopefully, a warlock as well but then, the unthinkable had happened.

A demon had dived at Alec and Alec, with his attention on a demon that was going towards Jace, hadn’t noticed. The demon had tackled him and before Jace could even blink, Alec had disappeared with the demon into the rift.

A warlock finally came. They closed the rift. Jace raced back to the Institute, clutching his parabatai rune. He could tell Alec was alive still but he was so hurt and they had no clue where he was. The Institute finally got the call that Alec had popped out of a rift that had opened on the sea coast. Alec, already injured from the demon attack, had fallen nearly twenty feet before he’d hit the sand.

Jace wasn’t quite sure what happened after that. He wasn’t there and he couldn’t convince a warlock to open a portal for him on such short notice. Magnus Bane had been there, somehow. He’d come to check out the rift so close to his ocean and he’d seen Alec, a crumpled bloodied mess on the ground.

All of Alec’s bones had been broken. Even with all the help the Institute could get him, Alec would not survive and then, something Jace still didn’t understand happened. Magnus offered to take Alec. He offered to change him and either Alec would die during the transformation or he would become one of them, stronger with Magnus’ magic, healthier, more vicious, never to leave the ocean again, never to again be human or nephilim, never to speak to Jace or any of them again.

It was part of the rules when things like that happened. If a nephilim became a vampire, they were not to talk to them again. If a nephilim became one of _them_ , well the same rules applied along with the fact that the water nymph did not like them, would not tolerate communication between them and lived in the ocean, so far disconnected from modern forms of communication like the cell phone.

Magnus had offered to turn Alec only if he would not have to deal with any other shadowhunters again. He made it clear Alec would not be worth his effort, if he was going to be cursed having to deal with nephilim for the rest of his life. If any of them contacted him about Alec again, Magnus would simply kill him and move on.

But how was Jace supposed to do that? How could he possibly move on and leave Alec behind, especially now that he knew Alec was alive? Besides, Jace was kind of banking on what Meliorn had said. Magnus was _fond_ of Alec. He was protecting him and keeping him safe. Surely, he wouldn’t kill him just because Jace tried to contact him, right?

Jace was jolted out of his thoughts when someone stepped in front of him. It was a warlock, Jace recognized instantly. The warlock had horns and skin that could have been off colored but Jace couldn’t tell in the flashing colored lights of the club. Finally, the lights flashed white for a moment and Jace could see the emerald green skin.

“I hear you’re walking around my club bothering all my patrons to try and find me,” Ragnor posed, looking exceptionally unimpressed. “Find your sister and follow me. I’ll give you five minutes if it will make you never contact me again.”

Before Jace could say anything, Ragnor turned and was heading towards a room in the back of the club.

“What do you want?” Ragnor snapped, sounding as if he was already reaching his limit with the situation at hand.

Jace started speaking instantly. He wasn't going to push his luck with pleasantries.“I need to contact Magnus Bane. I hear you know how.” Ragnor eyed him, not looking any more impressed with Jace’s explanation. After a second Jace kept speaking, “My parabatai, he-”

“I know who your parabatai is.” Ragnor said before sighing, turning away from them both to head towards a drink cart Jace saw in the corner.

“I need to talk to him,” Jace insisted.

Ragnor peered at him, pouring a drink without looking at it. “Magnus told all of you not to contact him.”

“I know but-”

“What do you want Magnus to do anyway?” Ragnor continued. “You know your parabatai survived. What, do you just want to meet up and have a chit chat about life? There’s no reason for you to have to contact Magnus. Your parabatai is in a different world now. You knew that when you agreed to have him changed. Trying to contact him isn’t going to do anything but make it harder for you both.”

At that, Jace hesitated and after a moment, Ragnor’s eyes widened just a fraction. “Magnus isn’t going to change you too.” He snapped, sounding shocked Jace would even consider it.

Next to him, Isabelle finally seemed to find her voice. “He doesn’t want to be changed,” she said confidently before turning to Jace and seeing just how unconfident he looked.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Jace asked quietly, ignoring what Isabelle said all together. “He was willing to do it for Alec.”

“Jace-” Isabelle snapped, looking horrified. Jace ignored her and kept his eyes fixed on Ragnor.

“Yes well, Magnus has a soft heart for shadowhunters who are bleeding out on his beach. You are decidedly _not_ bleeding out and you don’t know what you’re asking for anyway. It’s a painful transformation, one you probably wouldn’t survive, one your parabatai almost didn’t.” Ragnor stared at him for another moment before he sighed, placing his drink down. “It must be… hard losing him-” Ragnor said, sounding as if he was trying to find a single sympathetic bone in his body and struggling. “But Magnus isn’t just going to change you because you’d like it. That’s exactly why he hesitated in doing it to Alec- he didn’t want all of you bothering him.”

“I’d just like to talk to Magnus once.” Jace murmured softly. “If he tells me no, I’ll move on,” Jace said, only half meaning it. There was no _moving on_ from Alec but if Magnus did say no, what other choice would he have?

“I’ll ask him and I’ll let you know.” Ragnor said at last, “But I wouldn’t expect an answer other than no.” Ragnor waved his hands towards them both. “Get out of my club before I change my mind and don’t ask at all.”

Jace hesitated for a brief moment before Isabelle reached out and grabbed his hand, starting to gently pull him towards the door. It was only outside in the cold crisp air that Isabelle spoke again. “You can’t really want to join him, Jace?” She asked softly.

For a moment, Jace kept walking, ignoring her. At last, he snapped, “Of course, I do. He’s my parabatai, Izzy. ‘For whither thou goest, I shall go’ and he had just-” Jace broke off with a shaky breath.

“He had just told you that he was in love with you,” Isabelle finished softly. “He told me.”

Jace stopped in his tracks, his hands clenched into fists at his side. “I didn’t react right. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t tell him that I loved him too and now, he’s gone.”

Isabelle sighed softly. “That’s a big choice, Jace. You’d be leaving everything you’ve ever known behind.”

“Except Alec.”

They stared at each other for a moment before they both started walking again, in silence.

Ragnor’s answer came the next day in the form of a short fire message. “He said yes. He’ll meet you at the dock near the Los Angeles Institute at midnight tonight. If you’re late, he will not see you again.”

Isabelle said she’d come with him, though Jace tried to convince her otherwise. Magnus was centuries old. He had a greater demon’s blood and he was one of the most powerful beings the Clave had on record. If Magnus did not like them, this could go bad very easily but Isabelle insisted she’d come. This was about Alec. Of course, she’d come. Besides, she told Jace if he ended up not coming back, she wanted to be there to say goodbye.

How could Jace argue with that?

The meeting spot Bane had requested was isolated enough to make it a hassle to get to without a portal but at last, they managed to find the right spot. It was an isolated dock that Jace wouldn’t quite describe as _close_ to the Los Angeles Institute. It was more vaguely near, if you considered a couple miles of nothing as near.

Regardless, they made it there only a little late. Ragnor’s words about not being late rang through Jace’s head but Magnus wouldn’t really leave because they were a few minutes late, would he? They walked out onto the dock and both of them, even with their most important runes lit, almost missed the fact that there was a man standing on the dock, looking out at the ocean, as still as if he’d been a statue.

They both froze a couple of yards away. Isabelle’s hand snapped to her whip. Jace reached for his blade but didn’t pull it out yet. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the man hadn’t heard them and them, he turned and peered across them both only looking mildly interested.

Jace knew at once that this was Magnus Bane. It could be no one else. His cat eyes cut through the darkness sending a chill down Jace’s spine. The man was nearly naked and not seeming to find that fact disturbing one bit. For a moment, Jace was thankful he could only just make out the shape of Bane’s body. He couldn’t get distracted. Not now. This was about Alec.

“Bane,” Jace called, knowing it was him but needing some kind of confirmation. Bane was a water nymph and yet, he stood here, his body more human than not, his scales mostly gone, his fingers twisted, humanish in the light and his _legs_.

Jace had heard rumors that the sons of greater demons could do what the rest of the water nymph could not - they could shift and move to walk among the humans but Jace had always assumed it was rumor. Apparently, he’d been mistaken.

“Lightwoods,” Bane called over, sounding unimpressed with them already. “You’re late.”

“We had a hard time finding you-” Jace started but Magnus waved him off before he could keep going. Jace fell silent instantly and that seemed to make Magnus smirk in the darkness.

“Oh, you’re obedient. What a pleasant surprise.”

Jace stayed silent and he wasn’t even sure why. Magnus had told him to be quiet, more or less, and he wasn’t going to speak and mess up whatever chance he had at seeing Alec again. Jace told himself that was the only reason why but in the back of his head, he knew it was something else too.

Magnus was commanding. He held himself with such confidence that even Jace paled in comparison to. It was hard to _not_ want to listen to him, that and the fact that he was unnerving, scary in the way that monsters who appeared human were.

Magnus’ eyes flickered to Isabelle at last. “You can go,” he stated simply.

Instantly, Isabelle started to protest. “I’m not leaving him here alone.”

Magnus’ eyes flickered to Jace and then back to Isabelle once more. “I wasn’t asking,” He said mildly. “You can see him again when we’re done talking. I’d like to speak to him in private.” Isabelle opened her mouth to protest again but Magnus raised a finger, silencing her. “Or, I can just leave,” He threatened.

“Go, Izzy,” Jace said without looking over.

They stood for a tense moment before Izzy finally turned and started walking off the dock, leaving Jace and Magnus completely alone. Jace was happy that Isabelle left without a fight. He knew she didn’t want to leave him. Truthfully, being alone with someone as powerful as Magnus made Jace nervous but it was better than Magnus leaving and Jace having no chance of seeing Alec ever again.

Magnus eyed Jace for a moment before he turned to face the ocean like he had been when they’d first walked up. “Come,” he murmured softly.

For a moment, Jace was surprised Magnus would turn his back on someone who stood there armed but that also meant Magnus knew he had nothing to worry about. Jace wouldn’t be able to hurt him and besides, Magnus had Alec. Jace wouldn’t hurt him, even if he could.

Jace eased his hand off his weapon and walked forward, until he stood a few feet away from Magnus, his body tense all over. Magnus _was_ completely naked, Jace could see this close. He put his eyes pointedly forward, watching the waves crash out on the dark ocean.

“You’re human,” Jace said finally, unable to stop himself from saying it.

“No,” Magnus murmured. “I’m not. I just look it.”

“Could Alec-”

“No,” Magnus said simply before the hope could grow in Jace’s voice. “He couldn’t. The transformation is permanent. He isn’t like me.”

“Oh,” Jace whispered, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. If Alec could look human again, that could change everything. Jace could come here and they could visit. Alec could talk to him. Alec could walk up on the beach and tell Jace all about what he’d been doing recently but that was just a fantasy. Alec was stuck, with literally an ocean keeping them apart.

“Why did you want to meet me, after I explicitly told you not to contact me?” Magnus spoke mildly but there was a twist in his words that reminded Jace he’d already disobeyed him by asking him to come here at all and yet, Magus had come to meet him.

“Meliorn told me you were fond of Alec. I was hoping you wouldn’t really hurt him.”

“That’s not a reason. That’s a justification.” Magnus turned to look at him and Jace found that his eyes were almost hypnotizing this close. “Why did you want to talk to me?”

Jace swallowed, his throat suddenly incredibly tight. He thought about telling him he wanted to ask how Alec was. He thought about telling him that he needed to know that Alec was okay. He thought about asking him to tell Alec that he loved him and that he was sorry he ever hesitated in saying it back.

That was all true but that wasn’t really what Jace was hoping to get out of this. “I want you to take me too.” Jace said, something pleading breaking out in his voice. “I want to be with Alec. I can’t live without him. I want to come too.”

The moment Jace said it, Magnus’ entire face softened. He stared at Jace and in the pale moonlight, he almost looked sorry for him. “Ragnor told me you wanted to do it but I didn’t believe him. Most shadowhunters would choose death over a life in the ocean.”

“I’d choose a life in the ocean over living without Alec,” Jace said and there wasn’t even a flicker of hesitation. He even surprised himself with how sure of it he was. He hadn’t wanted to admit it to Meliorn. He hadn’t wanted to admit it to Ragnor or Izzy but it was true. He wasn’t just thinking about it. He didn’t just want to make sure Alec was okay. He wanted to go with him more than anything. He needed to go with him.

For a beat, Magnus eyed him as if fully taking him in for the first time. Finally, he looked back up to Jace’s face and though nothing in his expression had changed, Jace got the impression he was pleased. “You’re lucky you’re cute and not as incredibly annoying as you seemed when you were asking about me to anyone who would listen.”

Jace didn’t know how he knew he’d been asking around about him, nor did he ask. He didn’t want to risk suddenly appearing annoying and having Magnus change his mind. “So, you’ll do it?” Jace asked, half in disbelief.

Magnus raised an eyebrow, “You do realize there’s a great chance you won’t survive. I’m surprised your parabatai did. I had to do a lot to keep him alive. The chances of both of you managing to survive is slim.”

Jace nodded. “I know.”

For a moment, Magnus kept eyeing him, as if he was waiting to see any hesitation, any glimmer that showed Jace did not want to do this. Instead, he saw nothing. Magnus turned back towards the ocean, letting out a soft sigh.

“Go say goodbye then,” Magnus said.

Jace turned and started walking down the dock towards Isabelle before Magnus changed his mind completely.

Jace had almost expected Isabelle to try to talk him out of it but she didn’t. They’d both come here knowing that if Jace was given the chance to join Alec, he would. He loved Alec more than anyone in the entire world and if Alec was somewhere, Jace had to go with him. The fact that Isabelle had ever been surprised he’d wanted that was shocking in and of itself.

Isabelle didn’t try to talk him out of it. She didn’t even comment. She just hugged him tight for a moment and then, she let him go. They both knew they wouldn’t see each other again. The ocean was vast and after Jace changed, if he even survived, they would speak entirely different languages. Jace was leaving her behind here but Alec had already left them and Jace had always been Alec’s anyway.

“I love you,” he murmured as he let go.

She nodded, looking as if she was trying hard to keep the water out of her eyes as she responded. “I love you too,” she murmured. “Take care of him.”

Jace nodded and after a moment, he turned away from her. Shadowhunters didn’t say goodbye and though Jace wouldn’t be a shadowhunter soon, he wasn’t about to break that trend. Saying goodbye would almost be like tempting fate to make him not survive this and he needed to survive this.

Alec would blame himself forever if Jace didn’t, so there was no other option. He needed to survive. He needed to join him. He couldn’t let Alec do this alone.

Jace walked down the dock until he met Magnus, where he stilled. Jace hoped Isabelle had started to walk away already. She didn’t need to see whatever would happen now. Jace didn’t even know what would happen now. Would Magnus do it here on the dock? Would he drag him to the bottom of the ocean?

Magnus turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you ready?” He murmured.

When Jace nodded, he frowned, his eyes flicking up and then down Jace. “I do hope you survive,” Magnus said at last. “You’ll make a pretty one.”

Jace didn’t even have a chance to respond to that before Magnus grabbed him, his grip tight on Jace’s upper arm as he pushed him and then, the world disappeared in a blur of dark blue. Jace was suddenly freezing. For some reason, he hadn’t expected the water to be so cold.

Something moved in front of him and the dark figure made Jace flinch, his shadowhunter instincts yelling at him to find a weapon, to get out of the water where he’d be able to defend himself more easily but after a moment, Jace’s eyes focused on what the figure actually was and his heart started pounding in his chest.

It was Alec. He looked nothing like Jace remembered him but it was him. Jace would recognize him anywhere and he was suddenly ashamed that he’d ever questioned if he would or not. He was huge, which probably shouldn’t have surprised Jace as much as it did. Alec had always been big as a shadowhunter. He’d been bulky and tall and his form now was even more so.

His scales were dark blue and in the water, Jace could just barely see the way they shimmered in the pale moonlight- flickering in light blue, touches of green, turning his body from a dark almost black blue to a cascade of different hues. He had claws now too, long dark spikes that came off his webbed fingers into claws sharp enough that they looked like they’d stab right through Jace, if Alec wanted to do so.

He looked dangerous and terrifying and he looked like _Alec_. His eyes flashed across Jace and Jace could see that same concern in them that he saw when he got hurt and Alec was there, trying to save him. Jace saw something else moving and it took him a moment to realize it was Magnus. He’d changed now and he looked so entirely different from how he’d looked a moment before, on land.

He was so different from Alec. His scales were bright gold even in the dark, shimmering in hues of red as he moved. His eyes glowed bright in the water and he moved like a blur around Alec, leaving Jace to only see the flash of his tail before he’d moved out of sight again.

Alec darted forward suddenly, pressing his cold mouth against Jace’s. Jace was startled for a moment. Of course, he wanted Alec to kiss him but he was surprised that was his first reaction. Then, he felt Alec pushing air into his lungs and Jace realized what Alec was doing.

Jace was drowning. He was trying to stop Jace from drowning.

Alec grabbed Jace as he pulled away, being careful not to stab Jace with his claws as he did so. He moved like he was going to pull Jace to the surface but Magnus was suddenly there again, grabbing Alec to stop him and chattering in some language Jace did not understand. Whatever Magnus said came out in a series of chirps and noises. Jace wondered if Alec had understood him instinctively when he was turned or if he’d had to learn their language.

Jace had never been fantastic at languages. That had always been Alec’s thing.

Alec pulled away from Jace, looking angry. He seemed to argue with Magnus about something for a moment before Jace felt Magnus grab him and start pulling him down, leaving the pale light from above to start disappearing as they sank.

Alec froze for a moment and then, he darted after them, following them as they went to the bottom.

It was just about then that Jace realized his lungs had started to burn. He was drowning, he realized after a second and this time, Alec was not there to push air into his lungs. Jace didn’t know why he was surprised by that. He’d kind of expected that he’d just change before he had to feel this awful choking feeling but that apparently wasn’t the case because even when they stopped going down, neither Magnus or Alec did anything about the fact that Jace couldn’t breath.

Alec just hovered, looking exceptionally concerned as he made circles around Jace’s drowning body, looking like he wanted desperately to do something to help him but couldn’t.

Jace passed out at some point and when he woke up again, the only thing he could feel was pain. His whole body was lit in pain and that horrible feeling was still burning his lungs. He felt like he was so far past drowning. He felt like he should be dead by now but he wasn’t.

It was a few moments later that Jace started breathing, somehow. He could feel himself doing it in the water but he couldn’t even think about how because everything suddenly hurt so bad that Jace couldn't think of anything else. It felt like all his bones were breaking and it felt like his skin was being torn off but eventually, the pain subsided and when Jace opened his eyes an unknowable amount of time later, everything was different.

At first, Jace didn’t notice that _he_ was different. He noticed that everything around him was different. The ocean, which before had looked like nothing but dark shapes, was lit in a way Jace had never seen before. The light wasn’t actually coming from anywhere but Jace could just see through the darkness now. He could see every particle floating through the water and every small creature fluttering by. He could see the rocks and the grains of sand at the bottom of the ocean. He could see to the water line far above and the _warmth_.

The water had been freezing when Magnus had pulled him in but now, it felt like a warm bath. It felt like it was the perfect temperature to live in forever and when Jace finally looked down at himself, he realized why. Suddenly, he remembered exactly what happened and he realized for a startling second that he was _breathing_ in the water.

Which made sense, considering that when Jace looked down, he had a tail. It wasn’t as bright as Magnus’ or as dark as Alec’s but instead, it was somewhere in between. Jace’s scales almost looked like Magnus’ gold scales except they were muted, shimmering more in hues of silver and green instead of the bright red of Magnus’ own.

It was beautiful, he thought for a moment but he still didn’t quite feel like that could possibly be him but when he moved, his tail flicked softly and he knew that he was undoubtedly looking at himself.

The moment he moved, he saw a flash of movement next to him and before he even registered that someone was there, he was looking up at Alec. Alec’s eyes were wide and frantic, flicking over him as if he was expecting to see an injury that it didn’t seem like Jace had.

Alec’s mouth opened and he was speaking suddenly. Jace could hear two things happening at once, he could hear the individual sounds that Alec was making, the clicking noises that Jace had heard before, the sounds that had sounded like nothing meaningful at the time but now, Jace could understand him. He didn’t even know how but he could.

“Are you okay?” Alec asked and even though it sounded so different from english, Jace could hear that same alert tone in Alec’s voice that Jace was so used to.

Jace opened his mouth but english words couldn’t seem to find their way out. He fumbled for a moment before Magnus was there at the other side of Alec, speaking softly, “He’s fine. It’s going to take a while for him to be able to speak,” he said, seeming as if he was reminding Alec of that fact. “Remember you?” Magnus asked.

Alec nodded but his eyes didn’t move off Jace. Finally, Alec darted forward and Jace felt Alec’s arms wrap around him. Their tails curled together and Jace felt Alec huff what sounded like a laugh in Jace’s ear.

“I’d have killed you if you died trying to come to me,” Alec murmured to him.

If Jace knew how to speak, he’d have told Alec that he should have always expected Jace to follow him but he didn’t know how to say it, so he just held Alec closer, trying hard to be aware of the talons he now had and not dig them into Alec’s side. If he could have, he’d have told Alec that he loved him too but he couldn’t, so Jace could do nothing but let it wait.

After a few moments, Magnus said they should go home and then, Alec pulled away and Jace got to learn how to swim for the first time.

‘Home’ it turns out was a cave. It was a _nice_ cave admittedly, but still a cave and still very different from anything Jace had ever considered a home before. There was coral growing all around the outside of the cave along with other plants that looked like they had been intentionally placed there. Long flowing strings of seaweed obscured the entrance but they really looked more decorative than truly placed there to hide the cave.

Inside, it was even more intentionally decorated. Jace looked around and found shells. He found pretty, intricate looking gems and stones. There were glass containers pressed into the crevasse of the rocks, containing some things Jace recognized - vampire fangs, feathers - and some he didn’t. There were some human things too.

There was a small row boat pressed into a corner, almost looking like a bed. There was a net hanging across part of the ceiling, swaying gently in the water like a hammock in the wind. Jace could see live fish caught in another smaller net, fluttering around as they attempted feebly to escape.

There were lights here too, lit with some force Jace didn't know of. There were glowing stones across the walls and they reminded Jace of witch lights, something that comforted him and reminded him of home all at once.

Alec didn’t let Jace look around for too long before he was pulling Jace and pushing him gently into the boat, telling him that he needed to rest. Jace sank into the boat without much protest. He wasn’t that good at swimming anyway, especially not if he didn’t have Alec by his side to help him.

Besides, Jace was exhausted. Jace relaxed into the boat and let himself close his eyes, well aware of the fact that Alec was hovering around him anxiously, keeping a close eye on him as if he expected Jace to disappear.

Even that anxious vibe that Alec gave off was comforting. Jace didn’t think he’d ever feel Alec stress him out again.

It was apparent to Jace rather instantly that before he’d arrived, Alec and Magnus’ relationship hadn’t been strictly platonic and now that Jace was there, neither of them seemed to know where they stood. Neither of them said this to Jace but Jace could just tell and suddenly, Meliorn’s words of Magnus being fond of Alec rang a little differently in Jace’s head.

Jace wanted to say something about it. He wanted to talk to Alec and tell him that he loved him but that if he’d moved on, Jace was happy just being with Alec again but his ability to express himself wasn’t quite on par with saying that.

He understood Alec and Magnus instinctively and some part of him knew how to answer them too but trying to actually get the sounds out of his mouth was a hard and difficult process. Apparently, Alec had taken to the language much more easily, which Jace wasn’t really surprised by.

Jace had always gotten praise because he was more flashy than Alec and he excelled at catching everyone’s attention but Alec was always innately more skilled than Jace was, he just kept it to himself. It was only ever people like Izzy and him that noticed but here, the difference was apparent.

Even so, Jace didn’t find himself annoyed by it. He’d thought he’d lost Alec for so long and if it was Alec’s time to outshine him, then Jace was fine fumbling as he tried to speak, as long as Alec would stay with him while he did.

Jace didn’t actually find the words to try to talk to Alec for a few weeks.

Jace was eased into things like he was a baby. Magnus caught his food for him. Magnus showed him how to eat it. Magnus corrected him when Jace swam wrong. Magnus snapped at him when he strayed too close to something dangerous or too far away from him and Alec at all.

Alec himself seemed more than comfortable hovering around Jace and swimming slow circles around him that Jace couldn’t do if he tried, while Magnus did the actual teaching. It occurred to Jace that Alec might not actually know what was dangerous and what wasn’t yet, that or he just referred to Magnus’ judgement anyway.

The three of them had fallen into some kind of hierarchy and Magnus was undoubtedly at the top. When they went out, they went where Magnus brought them. They listened when Magnus spoke. If they came across others (which had only happened once and apparently did not happen often), Magnus was the one that spoke for them.

Magnus was bigger than them and more powerful and far more knowledgeable and that was a comfortable thing to fall into. Jace could see that Alec liked having someone who took care of everything for them and handled all of the important stuff. On the surface, Alec had always had so much on his plate and it must be rather nice now having someone else who took that role. Jace didn’t really mind it either. He’d always been strong headed and even with Alec but here, it was nice that Magnus corralled them like they were children. The structure felt nice in a world that was so foreign, even if Jace really wanted to touch the spiky thing just to see what would happen.

If there was anymore of a hierarchy beyond Magnus being at the top, it was certainly Alec and then Jace. Magnus would ask Alec’s opinion sometimes. They would have discussions that Jace was never involved in and he had the feeling that even when he was able to talk, he wouldn’t be but he wasn’t offended.

He was at the bottom but that came with a freedom that Jace breathed in as easily as his new gills pulled air from the water. Magnus and Alec took care of everything. Jace was safe and he could dart after fish and try to catch them (a task that Magnus did very easily, Alec was good at and Jace hadn’t quite mastered yet) and be dragged back like a child when he got too close to the drop off only Magnus ever seemed to venture into.

He was at the bottom but that was a comfortable place to be. He was taken care of and for once in his life, Jace let himself accept that. He’d never really been taken care of before. He’d never really let himself be but he was learning fast that it was a nice feeling.

In the end, it wasn’t actually Jace who broached the topic of their relationship. Jace had been planning on waiting a little bit longer before he tried to talk to Alec about it but when Alec brought it up, Jace couldn’t exactly tell Alec to wait until he could say more complex things.

It was one of the times Magnus was gone that Alec finally said it. He’d gone out to look for something he was out of, leaving Jace and Alec home alone in the cave. Alec had been folding seaweed, making a little rug out of it that Jace had seen them use like a basket. Truthfully, Jace didn’t think they needed any more of them and the ones they had looked better than the one Alec was making but maybe, Alec just liked having something to do. Jace himself was perfectly content curling against Alec's side, watching him maneuver his claws and trying not to cut the seaweed as he did.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Alec said at last, not even looking up from his task. “Before,” he murmured softly. “It’s okay if you don’t love me but I meant it and I’m glad to have said it but I’m sorry if it upset you.”

It took Jace a second to even process Alec’s words and then, even after he did he wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew what he wanted to say but he didn’t know how in the world to go about saying it, so before he could possibly overthink it, say nothing and react even worse than he had last time, Jace started speaking. “You didn’t,” Jace snapped frantically.

Alec paused and looked over to him, a small frown coming across his dark, scale flaked face as he waited for Jace to continue.

“Upset me.” Jace said, only recalling how to say it because Alec just had. “You didn’t upset me,” Jace repeated, finally stringing his thought together into a full sentence. Jace frowned himself, fully expecting Alec to cut him off as he struggled to find the words but Alec didn’t, he just waited and Jace was thankful for it.

Jace looked up to meet Alec’s eyes again, “I love you too,” he murmured. “I just didn’t-” Jace shook his head, frustrated. “I was scared,” he started again, scraping his unfinished sentence completely. “But I love you,” Jace repeated, hoping if Alec heard anything in his mangled words that he’d hear that.

Alec’s eyes were wide and soft. He looked away, not exactly looking disappointed but more shocked, as if the world had shifted in a direction he hadn’t expected and he didn’t quite know how to process it. Jace understood the feeling.

“Magnus?” Jace posed simply.

Alec slowly looked up to him. “Do you like Magnus?” Alec posed simply in response.

Of course, Jace liked Magnus. Magnus took care of them. Magnus saved Alec. Magnus reunited them by taking Jace too and besides, Jace did like Magnus even personally. Jace liked watching Magnus. Jace liked doing stuff Magnus didn’t like him to do, just so Magnus would roll his eyes and stop him. Jace liked how easy on Alec Magnus was and he liked how Magnus always seemed to know what not to say to Alec, to avoid pressing all those insecure buttons that other people had always seemed to press so easily.

Similarly, Jace liked how soft on him Magnus was too. Jace was still testing that boundary with Magnus but so far, Magnus never seemed honestly annoyed with him. He was always lighthearted about it, even when what Jace was doing probably was annoying to a centuries old all-powerful being but Magnus never lashed out at him and he ever seemed to get aggravated with Jace, not really.

But even besides all that, Jace knew that wasn’t what Alec was asking. Alec knew Jace liked Magnus. It was obvious but he was asking if Jace _liked_ Magnus and the truth was, Jace wasn’t sure.

Magnus was beautiful. He was charming and he was fun to be around. He certainly flirted with Jace enough to indicate that he was interested but… it was obvious that Alec and Magnus were drawn to each other. Certainly, Magnus couldn’t really be interested in him too? That’s just how Magnus was. He flirted where others would normally do anything else.

“Does Magnus like me?” Jace asked instead of answering.

For a second, a brief almost amused smile flickered across Alec's face and then, someone else was speaking from behind them.

“Smooth way to avoid the question,” Magnus called over. “I haven’t peaked your interest yet?” He asked, half flirtatious and half joking. He raised an eyebrow and at once, Jace wanted to point and exclaim that that was why he didn’t believe Magnus was ever actually interested in him.

Magnus flirted with Alec too sure but Magnus also leaned close to Alec. He’d touch him softly and murmur to him. With Jace, Magnus only ever did this - he’d flirt, always half joking, never completely giving Jace any reason to think he meant it.

“You’re joking,” Jace snapped, his tone flat.

Instantly, the smirk on Magnus’ face disappeared.

“You never flirt with me like you do Alec.” Jace continued. “You’re always kidding.”

For a moment, neither Alec nor Magnus responded and then, Magnus opened his mouth, looking confused. “I’m not kidding,” he said softly. “Have you thought I’ve been kidding?”

Jace had the urge to deny it suddenly and avoid the embarrassment but after a second of hesitation, he nodded.

Magnus looked astonished. “I wasn’t kidding,” he insisted. “I just-” Magnus gestured over to Alec. “I knew Alec was interested, Jace. We talked about it before you came.” Magnus paused for a moment, frowning. “I didn’t know if you were or not and with you here, I wasn’t exactly sure if I was being cut out.”

Jace stared, his mind struggling to process exactly what Magnus was trying to say. “So, you weren’t kidding?” Jace asked at last.

Magnus' expression flickered in an amused smile but there was something a little… self conscious beneath that. “I wasn’t kidding,” he confirmed.

“Oh,” Jace said, struggling to come up with a response.

“Disappointed?” Magnus asked, his lips quirking like it was a joke even though he didn’t seem to find it amusing.

“No,” Jace said hastily. “Surprised,” he insisted instead. They both stared at each other and after a pathetically long moment, it occurred to Jace that Magnus was scared Jace didn’t like him. He thought that somehow, _Jace_ didn’t like _him_. “I’m not kidding either,” Jace said, which didn’t really make sense because up until now, Jace hadn’t really said anything at all, let alone something that Magnus might mistake as a joke but Magnus seemed to understand what he was saying anyway.

Magnus nodded slowly, “And… you two?” He asked, glancing between them.

Jace looked to Alec. “Not kidding?” He asked after a moment.

Alec huffed a soft, chipped laugh. “Not kidding,” he assured.

For the moment, it seemed it was as simple as that and there really wasn’t anything else to say until Magnus finally spoke again. “Well, let’s go,” Magnus said, turning towards the entrance of the cave that he’d come from a few moments before. “You’re finally going to catch a fish,” Magnus called over his shoulder.

Jace groaned softly before following, as Alec laughed an adorable, distinctly inhuman sound behind him.

Jace’s new life was easier to fall into than he’d expected it would be. He thought it would be a struggle all the way through and while some things were, even the struggles came easier than Jace had expected. Jace struggled to speak but neither Magnus nor Alec rushed him to get better at it any quicker than he did, so it didn’t seem like it was that big of a problem. Jace sucked at catching fish and he wasn’t stellar at swimming but Magnus caught them food and besides laughing at Jace’s attempts to be as elegant as Magnus was in the water, they didn’t rush him on that either.

Similarly, Magnus and Alec were easier to fall into than Jace had expected. With assurance that Jace was in fact interested, Magnus was more blunt with his flirting. He’d lean into Jace like he did Alec. He’d brush Jace’s golden wispy hair back and he’d press kisses onto Jace’s cheek, being careful to keep his sharp teeth and claws safely tucked away (something Jace learned that he was not fantastic at, when their relationship started to involve a bit more interactive things).

Alec was a bit more hesitant with him and it didn’t help that Jace felt equally as unsure with Alec. It was easy to fall into that relationship with Magnus when the man himself was the one initiating it but neither Alec nor Jace seemed quite sure how to go about it with each other. For a long time, they’d been friends and then, they’d been parabatai and now, they didn’t quite seem to know how to be something else, even if they both wanted to be.

In the end, they realized they were both vastly overthinking it. Nothing about the way they interacted had to change. Jace didn’t have to push aside his playful nature to try and flirt and Alec didn’t have to push aside his predisposition to be annoyed at what Jace did, so they could try to be more romantic.

Their same banter was fine and at night, if Jace wanted to tuck his tail around Alec’s and bury his face in the man’s neck, he could and that would be fine. If Alec wanted to wake him up by kissing him, he could and overthinking the way they interacted otherwise helped no one.

It was Magnus who so very helpfully pointed this out, after awkwardly watching both of them try to fumble around their new relationship for a few days. They both realized very quickly that Magnus was right, as he often was.

Looking back on it, joining Alec hadn’t exactly been a choice. He hadn’t really thought about the consequences or what life would be like underwater. The only thing he’d thought about was Alec and that he needed to follow him, regardless of where he went. There hadn’t been another choice but overall, Jace found that he couldn’t regret what he’d done at all.

Shadowhunters thought of those underwater as cursed, vicious creatures. The latter, Jace could understand given that he thought Magnus could kill someone in a second but the former? No, Jace didn’t think they were cursed. The real curse would be a life trapped away from Alec. The real curse would be knowing that Alec was here with Magnus and being stuck above.

Jace was not cursed. Alec was not cursed. Their lives were just different now and besides, if it meant that Jace could spend eternity with Alec and Magnus, how could it be anything less than a blessing? How could anyone pity them?

Besides, Jace also learned fairly quickly that his new anatomy was quite a bit more fun than what he’d had as a shadowhunter. Magnus said that their bodies were more sensitive than human bodies and that was a fact that Jace was more than a little excited to explore himself.

If Jace had been cursed with anything, it was an astounding appreciation for everything his new body had to offer. Things were _different_ but overall, Jace really couldn’t complain, even if he never quite seemed to get the hang of the spinning maneuver that Magnus and Alec could do in the water.

Jace really, really wanted to be able to do it but he had a long time to practice and Magnus had a long time to be able to laugh at him as he tried to do it. Jace really thought that things could have ended up far worse for him than a life like this, with two boyfriends who he was not worried would get sick of him and a home full of water where he was safe from scary predators when his far more capable boyfriends were away.

Jace didn’t think that a life cursed to remain in the ocean was that bad.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it <3


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